Save Loads Of Shelf Space With Marie Kondo's Folding Techniques

If you haven’t already heard of organiser extraordinaire, Marie Kondo, then you must be living under a large clothing pile. Marie Kondo is a self-proclaimed tidying freak and the author of the international best seller, ‘The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up’. She also runs a consulting business for people with cluttered homes which has become so popular that she has a 3 month long waiting list.

Since the age of 15 Marie has been studying the art of tidying and even developed her own method of organising called the KonMari method which essentially started out as a manic obsession with tidying. Her philosophy on decluttering stems from a simple guide to choose things that spark joy. The simple criterion for deciding what to keep and what to discard is whether or not an item brings you joy. She emphasises that it is important to touch it and firmly hold it in both hands. If an item sparks joy then you should keep it regardless of if it is still useful to you or not.

Many people swear by her decluttering approach and attest that the results have changed their lives. Marie also says that she has maintained a zero rebound rate since she started giving private lessons. On the other hand, some people are not so impressed and assert that a one-size-fits all approach doesn’t suit everybody. Having read all the reviews, I decided to give her latest book ‘Spark Joy’ a read and see what all the hype was about.

I found that some of her guidelines were rather rigid and stringent. I was especially astonished by her strict policies on books. When it comes to tidying books, she advises that once you have read a book then you should get rid of it. This also applies to books that are half-read or haven’t been read at all. Similarly, when it comes to sentimental CDs from friends and lovers, she recommends that you should enjoy the nostalgia of the memory then discard and move on!

However I was so impressed with her folding techniques that it inspired me to re-fold my entire closet and all my drawers. The key to folding any garment is to make a rectangle and fold clothes as if you were doing origami.

I decided to share some of her folding techniques for various items of clothing. I hope she inspires you like she did me!